Education

Improve Teacher Retention and Pay

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A teacher reads to a group of students at Andrew Hamilton school. A new report found that teachers in their first three years of teaching and teachers of color leave their jobs at higher rates than others. (Carly Sitrin/Chalkbeat)

Progress Updates

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School district wants to close 20 schools starting in 2027, affecting dozens of others

(Chalkbeat) The Philadelphia school district wants to close 20 schools starting in 2027 as part of a reorganization plan that will affect 1 in 3 traditional district schools and reshape the city’s public education landscape.

Nearly 5,000 students would have their schools closed in the coming years, based on this year’s enrollment counts. Another 2,800 students would have their schools moved to a new location.

“We must find ways to more efficiently use our resources, so we can push higher quality programming into all our schools, while at the same time addressing under and over enrolled schools,” Superintendent Tony Watlington said.

Mayor Cherelle Parker wants to lower teacher attrition, in part to uphold educational quality and consistency for students in the Philadelphia School District. Here's some of what she's done so far on this front:

Related News

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atim Byrd (center), a teacher at Strawberry Mansion High School, discusses citywide efforts to attract and retain more teachers and teachers of color in Philadelphia. Kristen A. Graham / Staff
The Philadelphia Inquirer

Philly officials want to recruit more teachers of color to address staffing shortage

Philadelphia has about 200,000 students in public and charter schools, and about 12,000 teachers. The Philadelphia Citywide Talent Coalition is...

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Solutions Progress Report

The Solutions Progress Report tracks updates on the key issues and initiatives of Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration.

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